Plans for new Islington campus unveiled

London Met's Holloway campus to be transformed in £125m project.

Date: 9 May 2016

London Metropolitan University has unveiled the proposed masterplan for its new £125m campus in Islington.

Highlights include opening the current Holloway campus up to the wider community by creating a central plaza, surrounded by a cafe, gallery and performance spaces. In the proposals, members of the public will have right of way through the new campus, linking it with surrounding streets, as well as access to University facilities.

Modern teaching and specialist facilities for academic departments will orbit the central plaza.

The plans follow over 30 consultation exercises with staff, students and members of the public since January.

Professor John Raftery, Vice Chancellor of London Met, said: “London Met is an access university – we welcome students from all backgrounds who want to improve their lives for the better. We want to create a campus that reflects that mission and our contribution to the London community.

“We are excited to begin this work and create something very special in Islington.”

The One Campus|One Community project will also see a major reorganisation of the University, with six schools being created to replace the current four schools.

The University will also move to an agile working model; an innovative approach that provides more freedom for staff about when and where they work. It is a digital-focused model where the emphasis is on outcomes rather than office hours.

Professor Raftery added: “This is a time of exciting change for London Met. We are effectively creating a new Higher Education offering in Islington, all based around an inspiring campus and a new way of doing things.

“Improving student outcomes is at the heart of this project, which compliments other initiatives, such as our new guaranteed employment-based learning programme for all students on all courses. This will help students build social capital and important networks to stand them in good stead for the graduate jobs market. We've already seen success in graduate employability, with London Met the biggest riser in the country for graduate employment last year.

“We are creating a University that is fit to meet the needs of its time.”